Want to watch Tour de France through Essex? Then plan ahead

THOSE planning to watch the tour are being urged to plan ahead, with many road closures and changes to public transport.

Roads will start to close around 7am in and around the route in Braintree, with other parts of Essex – including Chelmsford and Epping Forest – shutting soon after. The closures are planned to be in place until around 5pm.

Vehicles will not be able to park anywhere along the route to ensure the safety of the riders. Car parks in Uttlesford, Braintree, Chelmsford and Epping Forest that are open are available to view at www.letouressex.com.

Twenty-four bus services along the route will be severely affected, with 13 not running at all. They include services in Chelmsford, Great Notley, Saffron Walden and Epping Forest.

County councillor Ann Naylor said: “The Tour de France coming to Essex is going to be an exciting day and we want people to make the most of it.

“There will be disruption to bus services and our advice is not to travel on that day if you don’t have to, and to rearrange any appointments scheduled for that day.”

Both Greater Anglia and c2c will be providing extra seating on their trains throughout the day.

Greater Anglia will be bolstering services on its Braintree, Chelmsford and Braintree routes heading in and out of London, while c2c will also be providing extra staff at Fenchurch Street and Limehouse for those wanting to watch the race.

Passengers can change at West Ham for services to the Olympic Park for when the race heads through there.